Miami Marlins rookie Jose Fernandez draws King Felix comparison

Fernandez faces the Reds for the second time this year — and the first time since they five runs in four innings against him April 18 in an 11-1 loss in Cincinnati.
If Fernandez pounds the strike zone tonight like he did in his last start in Los Angeles, he should do just fine.

A day after Fernandez beat the Dodgers with six strong innings on Friday, manager Don Mattingly compared Fernandez to Seattle ace Felix Hernandez.

“He reminded me of King Felix. Same body. Kind of the wide lower half. That turn he has and kind of the attack from there to the strike zone,” Mattingly said last Saturday.

“Obviously not as polished. It seemed like if guys had good swings, he came back with the heater. It was almost like, ‘Go hit this one.’ He’d tried to throw harder.”

Fernandez allowed three runs and struck out seven. He threw 66 of his 86 pitches for strikes — a ratio that made Mattingly think there was a mistake on the scoreboard.

“He was on a hunt. He was attacking all night,” Mattingly said.

“At one point, it was like 51 strikes? That’s like somebody saying, ‘I’m not afraid. Here it is. Hit my stuff.”’